Friday, June 03, 2011

I remember talking with Shane about this very thing a couple years back, during a politically motivated meetup at Shorty's around mid May 2008 in downtown Owen Sound, I remember Jolley asked everyone to vote on whether they felt he could best represent the riding of Bruce Grey Owen Sound as a Green or an Independent. The vote was split at 3 as it came time for me to have a say, I simply thought one could not conscientiously represent the general interests and principles of a people and its region with its local culture fully when they obviously have to represent the special interests and principles of a leader and their party with its global ideology as well, just by the fact of philosophically reflective practicalities alone. So, the decision Shane has come to with his declaration of independence so early in June I believe comes from that grassroots vote and a tiem of reflection upon whether to represent the general interests of a region and the special interests of a party, where the now former deputy leader of the Green Party of Ontario and one time highest votegetting Green in the nation has decided not for latter but for the former in Bruce Grey Owen Sound.

Speaking about the self serving system that is the party power politics, Jolley hits on exactly why I find politics a pathetic and dangerous place to be pausing at the present, instead to serve the interests of local constituents and help navigate the serious challenges via global economics, rising energy prices and the basic rural inequities Bruce Grey Owen Sound has still yet to solve.

Actually, going one further, Shane makes it clear that not only can the Saugeen region survive these negative circumstances, but thrive in spite of them, making us many positive opportunities for our region to capitalize upon them. However for us to do so, we must recognize that rather than run quickly forward using party power politics and the self serving system that strengthens it, we must shirk off that entitlemental idleness and rights supported barrier of irresponsibility towards achieving instead meaningful change and voluntary civic action of responsibility. In quoting outgoing former Independent and Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament Bill Murdoch three times with "It seems to me, over the past 100 years or so, we have taken away the individual rights of elected members of government, and in doing so we have taken away the rights of constituents who elected them!", "In my view, a government should be applauded because they are so confident in their leadership, so certain of their direction, that they allow members to think, to react, to represent, and to vote." and "“If you did not get elected to speak your mind, to defend your constituents and to adjust or even change the system, then what did you get elected for?" Jolley sets himself up to walk the walk most talk and talk in replacing the man he was thirteen points behind in the last provincial election, independently and confidently Shane will seek a return to people first political system, where local citizens are engaged, involved and taken seriously at the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park in Toronto. Ignoring the citizen electorate, let alone their elected members, governments, cabinets and parties sell their ideology, through a platform of their creation, leaders telling regions how to live, eat, drink, breathe and think via social media tweet addendums from their penthouse top floor corner office with oversized windows overlooking Bay Street downtown Toronto. Not this time, think twice and vote once for Independent.